Consumer Product Safety Commission § 1204.1 PART 1204—SAFETY STANDARD between the antenna and the mast or FOR OMNIDIRECTIONAL CITIZENS other supporting structure, so that a BAND BASE STATION ANTENNAS harmful electric current will not pass from the antenna to a person in con- Subpart A—The Standard tact with the mast. (If this alternative were chosen, the feed cable from the Sec. antenna would have to be insulated or 1204.1 Scope of the standard. otherwise protected so that it would 1204.2 Definitions. not provide an electrical path to the 1204.3 Requirements. mast or a person touching the cable.) 1204.4 Electric shock protection tests. 1204.5 Manufacturer’s instructions. (b) Description of the standard—(1) Per- 1204.6 Findings. formance tests. The standard describes two performance tests to determine if Subpart B—Certification the means chosen by the manufacturer to protect against the shock hazard 1204.11 General. will provide adequate protection. 1204.12 Definitions. 1204.13 Certificate of compliance. (i) First, there is an Insulating Mate- 1204.14 Certification tests. rial Effectiveness Test (§ 1204.4(d) of 1204.15 Qualification testing. this subpart) in which a high voltage 1204.16 Production testing. electrode or test rod is brought into 1204.17 Records. contact with the antenna at any point FIGURES 1 AND 2 TO PART 1204—SUGGESTED IN- within the protection zone established STRUMENTATION FOR CURRENT MONI- by § 1204.2(k) of this subpart to ensure TORING DEVICE AND HIGH VOLTAGE FACIL- that the insulation can withstand the ITY voltage for 5 minutes without trans- FIGURES 3 AND 4 TO PART 1204—HIGH VOLTAGE TEST FACILITY AND ANTENNA SYSTEM mitting more than 5 milliamperes (mA) TEST SETUP root-mean-square (rms) of electric cur- rent. AUTHORITY: Secs. 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 14, 16, 19, 25, Pub. L. 92–573, 86 Stat. 1207, 1208, 1211–17, 1220, (ii) The other test is an Antenna- as amended Pub. L. 95–319, sec. 1, 92 Stat. 386, Mast System Test (§ 1204.4(e) of this Pub. L. 94–284, 90 Stat. 503; 15 U.S.C. 2051, subpart) which is intended to deter- 2052, 2054, 2056, 2058, 2063, 2065, 2068, 2074. mine whether the means provided to SOURCE: 47 FR 36201, Aug. 19, 1982, unless protect against electrocution will otherwise noted. withstand the stress imposed when an antenna-mast system falls onto a Subpart A—The Standard power line. This test consists of mount- ing the antenna to be tested on a speci- § 1204.1 Scope of the standard. fied mast and allowing the assembled (a) General. This subpart A of part antenna and mast to fall onto a power 1204 is a consumer product safety line of 14,500 volts rms phase to ground. standard which prescribes safety re- (2) Recommended materials. (i) Since a quirements for Citizens Band substantial portion of the accidents ad- omnidirectional base station antennas. dressed by this standard occur when The standard is intended to reduce the the antenna is being taken down after risk of electrocution or serious injuries it has been installed in an outdoor en- occurring if the antenna contacts an vironment for a number of years, the electric power line while the antenna is materials selected to provide protec- being put up or taken down. One way tion from shock should be weather re- that this can be accomplished is to in- sistant. sulate the antenna so that if it con- (ii) Although other materials may tacts the power line, there is less of a also be suitable, materials meeting the likelihood that a harmful electric cur- following criteria should be reasonably rent will be transmitted from the weather resistant: power line through the antenna and (A) Material composition includes an mast and ultimately through a person ultraviolet stabilizer or screen. holding the antenna mast. Another (B) Heat resistance of 212 °F (100 °C) possible way to provide this protection without loss of elasticity (ANSI/ASTM is to incorporate an insulating barrier D 746–79). 305 VerDate Sep<11>2014 12:14 Feb 13, 2015 Jkt 235055 PO 00000 Frm 00315 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\16\16V2.TXT 31 § 1204.1 16 CFR Ch. II (1–1–15 Edition) (C) Moisture absorption of not more firm having more than 750 employees, than 0.2 percent (ANSI/ASTM D 570–77). and which manufactures or imports (D) For heat shrinkable sleeving, products subject to the standard, upon temperature flexibility to ¥40 °F (¥40 written application, addressed to the °C) with no cracks (Mil Spec. MIL-I- Associate Executive Director for Com- 23053C, 20 May 1976). pliance and Administrative litigation, (3) Warning: Section 1204.5 of this Consumer Product Safety Commission, subpart requires a statement in the in- Washington, D.C. 20207, received not structions that the standard will not later than January 17, 1983. An applica- protect in every instance against elec- tion for extension of the effective date trocution caused by contact with shall: power lines. This is because the stand- (i) Identify the requesting firm as a ard is intended to provide protection manufacturer or importer of products for power line voltages of up to 14,500 subject to the standard. volts. Some power lines carry more (ii) State the total number of em- voltage than this. In addition, not all ployees of the firm, including all em- portions of the antenna are required to ployees of any subsidiary or division, be insulated, and the antenna’s mast is and all employees of any firm of which not required to be insulated. If the the requesting firm is a subsidiary or power line were to contact one of these division. uninsulated areas, an electrocution (iii) Request extension of the effec- could occur. Furthermore, when the tive date to a specific date not later antenna was manufactured it may not than May 27, 1983. in fact have complied with the stand- (iv) Explain why the requested exten- ard, or the insulation may have dete- sion of the effective date is needed. riorated or been damaged since the an- (v) Describe all activities undertaken tenna was manufactured. In addition, by the requesting firm to achieve com- the insulation cannot withstand high pliance with the requirements of the voltages indefinitely, and, after a pe- standard. riod of time, the current may penetrate the insulation. Therefore, even if a (vi) State that the requesting firm harmful amount of current is not will market complying products after transmitted immediately, the user the extended effective date. should not attempt to remove an an- (3) The Associate Executive Director tenna that falls into electric power for Compliance and Administrative lines, since the insulation could break Litigation will evaluate each request down while the antenna is being re- for extension of the effective date. The moved. For these reasons, persons han- following criteria will be used in deter- dling these antennas should ensure mining whether to grant an application that the antennas are kept away from for extension of the effective date: power lines so that the antenna cannot (i) Does the application demonstrate contact the line while being trans- that the requesting firm cannot meet ported, installed, or removed, even if the general effective date, the antenna is dropped. The Commis- (ii) Does the application demonstrate sion recommends that antennas be lo- that the requesting firm has made a cated at least twice the combined good faith effort to achieve compliance length of the antenna and mast from with the requirements of the standard the nearest power line. by the general effective date. (c) Scope. (1) Except as noted below, (iii) Does the application dem- the standard applies to all onstrate that the firm is likely to omnidirectional CB base station anten- produce or market complying products nas that are consumer products and are if the requested extension is granted. manufactured or imported on or after (4) The Associate Executive Director May 24, 1983. will advise each requesting firm in (2) The Commission may extend the writing if the requested extension is effective date of the standard for as granted or denied. If the Associate Ex- long as an additional 90 days for any ecutive Director for Compliance and firm which has 750 employees or fewer Administrative Litigation denies a re- and, is not a subsidiary or division of a quest for extension of the effective 306 VerDate Sep<11>2014 12:14 Feb 13, 2015 Jkt 235055 PO 00000 Frm 00316 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\16\16V2.TXT 31 Consumer Product Safety Commission § 1204.2 date, the firm may request the Com- (c) Base station means a transmitter mission to reconsider the denial. and/or receiver in a fixed location. (5) Section 3(a)(1) of the Consumer (d) Citizens Band (CB) means the fre- Product Safety Act (CPSA, 15 U.S.C. quency band allocated for citizen’s 2052(a)(1) defines the term consumer band radio service. product as an ‘‘article, or component (e) Current means the total rate at part thereof, produced or distributed (i) which electrical charge is transported for sale to a consumer for use in or through the antenna-mast system in around a permanent or temporary response to the applied test voltage, in- household or residence, a school, in cluding both capacitive and resistive recreation, or otherwise, or (ii) for the components. personal use, consumption or enjoy- (f) Electrical breakdown means a fail- ment of a consumer in or around a per- ure of the insulating material used manent or temporary household or res- with the antenna, such that in the An- idence, a school, in recreation, or oth- tenna-Mast System Test of § 1204.4(e) of erwise.’’ The term does not include products that are not customarily pro- this subpart, the current flowing duced or distributed for sale to, or for through the antenna-mast system is the use or consumption by, or enjoy- sufficient to actuate the automatic in- ment of, a consumer.